Jeanne Dams engages Dorothy Martin in another English murder id Death Comes to Durham. Dorothy and her retired policeman husband have come to Durham to help their retired policeman friend David Tregarth whose aunt with dimentia is suspected of killing a doctor visiting her nursing home. The case expands to students of the town college and the cozy turns dark. Great atmosphere.

While there is some very real violence in this title, at it's heart it's an English village cozy, with a mystery solved by an American woman and her ex-policeman British husband. A pleasant read, but not one to make me seek out others in the series.

I really like how well the pair of main characters, Dorothy and her husband Alan, work together and how their backgrounds help with their natural sleuthing abilities. When they visit Durham, and their friend David's great aunt, who lives with dementia in a home, is suspected of murder, I thought the case went on very well.

An engaging cozy crime book, with a lovely setting in one of my favourite cities, Durham. Dorothy investigates a murder supposedly committed by a very elderly frail lady, and manages to get to the truth of the matter.

I requested this book because I had spent a summer in Durham taking a course on stately homes at the university. The author took me on a trip down memory lane as I revisited the sites she so charmingly describes.
The mystery was a bonus with a poignant suspect, a sweet elderly lady living in a nursing home and accused of murder. This is the first book I have ready by this author and I will definitely read others. Her characters are appealing and her eye for local color spot on.

Charming and delightful mystery set in the English countryside. Well written and enjoyable for those who love a good mystery.

A Deft Hand......
The 23rd mystery in the excellent Dorothy Martin series from Jeanne M. Dams. Sometime amateur sleuth and Anglophile, Dorothy and husband, retired chief constable Alan, are visiting historic Durham with an old friend. A case of murder is never far away but this time it’s rather closer to home for Dorothy. Tackling sensitive issues with a deft hand, the author writes an engrossing and entertaining tale. With likeable protagonists in both Dorothy and Alan and a colourful supporting cast, this is a worthy addition to this long running series which can be read as a standalone although huge enjoyment is to be had in reading from the start of the series.

I love this series and this is an excellent addition.
It was great to meet again the characters and read about their life, the mystery is solid and kept me guessing, the setting is lovely.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Death Comes to Durham is the 23rd book in the Dorothy Martin cozy mystery series by Jeanne M. Dams. Due out 1st Sept 2020 by Severn House, it's 224 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats (ebook out now). It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

I love English cozies and this one is warm, well written, engaging, and with well developed mature characters whose kind and loving relationship is a pleasure to read about. The plotting is gently meandering but doesn't drag. There's not a lot of dramatic tension and there are a few oddly humorous plot twists. The author manages to write intelligently and compassionately about dementia patients and long term elder care without being strident or preachy.

The denouement and resolution are satisfying and capably written. For all lovers of English modern cozies with clean language and little to no on-page violence, this is a series which delivers very well. This one can be read as a standalone, but they're all enjoyable mysteries and it's nice to see the development of the main characters' relationship from the early books onward.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Dorothy and Alan are visiting a castle with a cop friend when disaster strikes. A man at the nursing home has been killed and his aunt is the one accused of murder. Suddenly, they are working on a case but they only have a week to do it...

Severn House and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published July 2nd.

David's aunt has dementia so she can't even defend herself from the accusations. Dorothy resolves to help. She asks questions of everyone. Her husband is a retired cop so he's against some of her theories because there is no evidence. She realizes that and continues to try to find evidence.

Then an old woman at the nursing home was attacked with the aunt's decorative pillow. David's aunt is being evicted. Dorothy and Alan's investigations steps up a notch or two. What they do find doesn't impress the cops. But Dorothy is not giving up.

Then Dorothy is attacked by the killer and it takes four men to save her. At least they have a suspect but will they be able to charge him?

How and why would Aunt Amanda- who has dementia- murder someone? That's the question her nephew Alan and his wife Dorothy work to answer in this latest in a long running series featuring this mature couple. They're a treat but an even bigger draw is the city of Durham, where this is set. The mystery twines back many years and you, like me, might guess the culprit- but not til close to the end because there are some good red herrings. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is fine as a standalone - the characters stand out (and are so realistic), there's good dialogue, and I enjoyed the setting.

I really wanted to read this book so that I could be a literary tourist. You know, visit a place or time through a book and enjoy the scenery. That's what I did here, and it worked out fine. In fact, it was sort of meta because the protagonist is herself a tourist in the city of Durham. I should also mention here that books set in Britain are catnip for me- I am a bigtime Anglophile (as is our main character!) and as long as the book isn't set during WWII (why are there so many books set in WWII?) I will be tempted.

So, I got to ride along as our characters toured cathedrals, tried out new restaurants, and generally enjoyed themselves in addition to getting drawn into what just might be a murder. This is a fairly cozy mystery with not much on-page violence. Also with a main character who makes sure to block out time for a nap in the middle of the day after being on her feet all morning but makes sure that she gets her tea.

I didn't really care much about the murder. Good and bad characters were signposted fairly blatantly. The main character was sometimes a bit judgey and superior and I ended up skimming after I got tired of touring Durham and just wanted to see how it ended. But it's a nice escape for a few hours.

This is a gentle, reliable mystery series now in its 23rd installment! It's hard to believe that the lovable, elderly investigative couple, ex-pat American and retired school teacher Dorothy Martin and her husband, British retired police commander Alan Nesbitt., have managed to solve so many mysteries! Fans have thoroughly enjoyed these "happy mysteries," each with its own tone and setting. In recent years, however, Dams manages to insert serious social issues into each book with a light and thoughtful touch, while mantaining the always warm and sweet relationship between the characters. I especially enjoy Dams' settings around Church of England services and its spectacular cathedrals, along with the quiet faith of both Dorothy and Alan. Dams is always meticulous in her research and wonderfully evocative in her descriptions. With each book, the reader can easily visualize the setting. The descriptions of the constant meals and snacks are a delightful feature of the series.

In this new story, the couple is visiting Durham, England, and staying in historic college facilities there. A friend of Alan's, a recently retired police officer, has invited them. Of course, a problem shows up almost immediately, and eventually a body or two. Here again, Dams brings in a serious social issue - that of dementia patients and their care. The plot entertains and has enough twists and turns to satisfy the reader. For any reader new to the series, each one can be a standalone, but it is most rewarding to work your way through all 23 of these! Enjoyable! A must-have reliable series for every public library.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Severn House, in return for an honest review. While the 23rd book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. It’s a pleasure to return to Dorothy Martin, ex-pat American and now married to Alan Nesbit, retired English Chief Inspector. In this latest installment, Dorothy and Alan are visiting the historic English city of Durham, complete with castle, cathederal and college, to see an old police friend, David Tregarth. It’s a lovely visit until David learns that his great-aunt, suffering from dementia and living in a luxurious care facility, is accused of murdering a fellow resident. As the book blurb notes, how do you clear someone when they can’t remember details that happened a few minutes prior? When a second incident indicates that Great-Aunt Amanda also attacked another resident, David’s given a short window to find her a new place to live. Dorothy and Alan are determined to solve the case, proving that this gentle, mentally lost woman couldn’t have done these crimes. Along the way, they encounter helps and hinderances from all parts of the town.
As always, Ms. Dams writes with great clarity in telling Dorothy and Alan’s adventures. They’re well-drawn and show a deep affection for each other and love of travel and adventures. She also deftly describes the scourge of dementia and what it does to both the sufferer and those who suffer with them, while still keeping this as a solid cozy mystery. I look forward to the next in this series.

A solid cozy mystery. I’ve been reading the Jeanne Dams series starring American born Dorothy Martin since it's inception. In the course of her 23 books I have travelled with Mrs Martin all over the UK and always enjoy her descriptions of the areas and tourist sites. For the last several books I felt that the protagonist had become sort of stodgy and a bit whiny. I'm happy to see that in this novel I feel the original amateur sleuth was back.

When I requested Dams’ latest book, I was unaware of her unique style of writing. Unexpectedly, I found myself enjoying this excellent travelogue along with its’ atypical plot. The ultimate surprise for me was that this book was the 23rd book of her series!

Thank you Severn House and Netgalley for allowing me to read their ARC of this book and enabling me to discover another interesting author.